Meeting in Mirkwood
by Naheniel
Summary: On a walk through the woods of his home, Legolas meets an intriguing person, one protected by the forest itself. Who is she that the trees guard her? Is she the one spoken of in myth, or just a servant in his father's halls? No Legomance just friendship!
1. The Ranger and the Legend

**AN/: **The first chapter rewritten! Special thanks to Satta for helping me with this!

This is a story about Legolas and one of Thranduil´s servants. The plot is taken of a role-playgroup and this story takes place about 1500 years before the Wars of the Rings. The point of view will change between Legolas and Finiel, the servant, and I have tried another way of dividing the whole thing , but if you have other good ideas or so feel free to tell me. This is my first story about Lord of the rings and I hope you will like it.

This is not a Legomance. It will be friendship only.

Con-crit is highly welcomed no matter if it is given via review or email or private message, I will try to apply to the things pointed out.

**Oh before I forget: This is dedicated to Lieblings-Polly and I guess she´ll know she is meant :)**

**Disclaimer:** Legolas and Thranduil don´t belong to me of course but I´m playing with them. Finiel however is mine!

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Quiet it was indeed, and something mystic lay upon the forests of Mirkwood, in the land of the great Elven King Thranduil. A faint breeze swept over the high crowns of the trees and beneath them, where the light of sun seldom touched the ground, lay the King's residence. How magnificent it appeared to eyes, although only a part of it was to be seen above the ground; and however peaceful this silent place looked, it could be felt that many things took place in the house of Thranduil: messengers brought news from of the West, the realms of men, where hard battles were fought; but neither was all in the King's family as peaceful as it should be.

It was middle of the night already, and most of the lights had faded away. The songs to honour Elbereth, the one who lit the stars of the night skies, began to soar up to the sky; and those with good eyes could see a slender person leaving with smooth steps the Halls of Thranduil to the forest. A dark grey coloured elven cloak covered the slender frame, and the hood was pulled on the face of the stranger. A shawl hid the mouth and nose, leaving only marvellousbright blue eyes to be seen. Surely, he was one of the rangers of Mirkwood. On his back rested a bow, a fine work of excellent quality, and a quiver filled with arrows. Two long daggers of superior craft were at his belt, wonderful weapons too. Considering all this, someone watching the ranger's leave could guess now that he was in high position amongst the elves of Thranduil.

Once the stranger reached the deep darkness of the forests, he vanished even out of the sharp eyes of the elvish people. There he continued his way, jumping quickly from strong branch to the next one, heading deep into the forest without a fear of the spiders, the offspring of the maia Ungoliant, whose evil deeds have been feared since the older days, or other beasts living among the trees, for he was a brave elf and a skilled bowman. Without halting, he went on, until he found a clearing in the woods, and there he stopped to look up to the stars.

* * *

It was just at this time that Finiel returned from one of the King's errands, and, once back, used the chance to leave the palace to the forests of Mirkwood. Although the King allowed her dress up most beautifully on these occasions when she was to be away from her beloved home, wanting the men and elves of other realms to be impressed by his messengers, none of the elegant clothes belonged to her; and plainly she was clad amongst the elves of Mirkwood, so plainly that was not even noticed at times. A tunic she wore was made of simple fabric and already dissolving at the rims. As tattered were also her pants made of old suede, but Finiel didn't care of her clothes. The forest, the trees didn't care whether she wore beautiful robes or simple ones like the things she had.

Even earlier than the ranger, she took her chance to escape the palace, where she was known as a simple servant. She knew she would feel when the time to return had come. And on her way to the forests, she fastened an old knife to her belt and pulled out a little flute made of wood, which seemed still anew, although she had kept the instrument for a long time now.

After she passed the borders of Thranduil's palace, there was a change in her; here in the forest, amongst the trees, she was no longer a little servant, but she was at home.

There was a legend among the elves of Mirkwood about a strange person; some stories said it was a woman, and others said it wasn't an elf at all; who protected the forest and was protected by it. Ever since then, spiders, orcs, and other beasts were found shot dead, yet none of the King's rangers, nor anyone else, had hunted them.

Finiel knew of this legend, since she was raised in Mirkwood, but she was one of the few elves who had learnt the truth. There was no single person living in the forest, whether elven or other, nor was there anything magical behind. The she-elf had learnt that there were elves dedicating their lives to the forest and the woods of the world, protecting them -- not to receive honour from their people, but out of their respect for Yavanna. This she had been taught by a lonely wanderer a long time ago. Celéblothwen she had been called, or Silverflower in the language of men; and now, since she was gone, Finiel had taken up her place and was the one hunting alone. The elves who saw her thought she was the one the old legend spoke of, for she was always hooded in green, and no one came near enough to recognize her.

And so the ranger of Thranduil's Halls, when reaching the clearing, saw a diminutive person, small for an elf that wore a simple green cloak with a great red stag, taller than the stranger at his side. Both, the cloaked person and the stag, turned to meet the ranger of Thranduil's House as if they had heard him coming already. The moon and the stars illuminated them. But at the moment the person standing on the clearing looked at the ranger, it seemed as if the forest itself wanted to present a chance for her and the stag to escape unseen.

Leaves began to fall, and, even when there was no wind beneath the crowns of the trees, a loud rustling echoed amongst the branches, and singing of the birds were to be heard. Only one moment of inattention would be enough, and the lonely wanderer and the wonderful stag would be gone; vanished from the sight like told in the stories of old.


	2. A song for Elbereth

AN/: The second chapter and like the first one rewritten!

A special THANK YOU to Satta who helped me as a beta with this!

The story is, als always dedicated to Polly who made it all up together with me.

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For many of the wood elves living in the forest, those who did not care much of the deeds of men, or the other elves in their realms far away, Thranduil was the greatest king alive. Only little did Thranduil keep contact to Imladris or Lothlorien, for he disliked their rulers, and the only reason for him to send out messengers was that he wanted to know about dangers that threatened his realm and wealth.

There was someone who loathed Thranduil's attitude -- Legolas, his firstborn and heir. Often did the prince disapprove with the ideas of his father, and turned towards his siblings and, among them, especially Eliana, his younger sister whom he was very fond of.

Eliana too had sought out her own ways for tonight likewise Legolas. And so he stood on the high branches of a tree at the edge of a clearing without even looking around. His head was turned towards the gleaming stars of the clear night sky as if he was searching the truth from there. "Elbereth..." spoke he softly to the dark, his bright blue eyes transfixed to the stars, reflecting the lights of the above. He was then distracted by something he heard; it seemed as if there was a hint of a whisper among the trees. He looked down upon the clearing; and there he saw her: the lone wanderer -- or the hermit of the forest as some stories called her.

Often he had heard of her and the legends they told. But until this day, before he saw her himself, as stories they had remained.

And so he looked down upon her, which was when the leaves began to sing, even though there was no wind; the birds called for him, although there were none to be seen. Just for a moment, he turned his head, wanting to see from where the voices of his feathered friends came, but when he returned his attention towards the hermit of the woods and her stag companion, both of them where gone!

Almost it looked as if he was surprised, yet his bright blue eyes did not reveal his thoughts. With a grace of a cat, he jumped down from the high branches he had been sitting on and landed safe on his feet on the soft mossy ground almost without a sound. For a moment he looked around, and then, without a second thought, he headed into the forest after her. For a while, he walked fast through the trees, bushes and the undergrowth, but there was no trace of the one he was looking for. Just as he reached the lighter part of the forest again, where the light of the stars and the moon touched the ground, the prince saw a small figure -- a fox standing in the moonlight.

The beautiful animal looked up at the elven prince, as if it wanted to say something, and then it disappeared into the forest. But now Legolas had understood: he could never hunt the lonely wanderer in her own home; and so he sat down to wait for her return. After a few moments, he closed his eyes. Even if she would not come back, it was a wonderful chance for the prince to regain his calmness and meditate, and so he did not care if it was only the fox or other animals around him, for this peaceful silence was the reason why he had come here. He felt a soft breeze on the naked part of his face; Legolas opened his eyes, and once again looked up at the stars, before he began to sing with a soft and quiet voice, yet still clear to understand.

"_A Elbereth Gilthoniel... o menel palan-díriel , le nallon sí di ´nguruthos! A tiro nin Fanuilos..._" He sung his song for Elbereth.

* * *

Taking the advantage of the moment, during which Legolas had turned away from her towards the calling birds, Finiel vanished from the clearing in silence and without a sign. It appeared that the stories where true when they told that the forest protected the lonely one; it had responded to her wish to escape unseen; and so the clearing looked again as if no living creature, save the animals of the forests, had ever been here.

Finiel, though vanished from the sight, was not gone; too easy it would have been to follow her, since she was an elf after all, not a legend as so many believed. And so she hid herself behind the trees and bushes, watching the prince, who was now trying to find her. At first she had not recognised the stranger, even when the moment he had shown up, she had noticed the valuable weapons compared to which her own blade was quite burred. As being a servant of low rank, Finiel was shy not only among the other elves, but the she-elf neither preferred not to be seen in the forests for no one knew of her being the one behind the legend in which still so many of Thranduil´s people believed. The hint of a smile appeared on her face as the stranger, whom she had finally recognised, after looking for her, left the clearing, still searching her in vain. A relief on her still hidden face, she followed the prince until he had reached the next light place among the high trees, which was when the little fox appeared.

Closely now, she watched how the fox behaved towards the elven prince; and with pleasure the she-elf noticed that the beautiful animal did not seem to have fear of the prince. Although the she-elf had not until now spoken with the prince, she had seen him in the palace; and to her it had seemed that Legolas had not adopted his father's attitude. Finiel herself disliked some of the ways Thranduil chose to take. She thought that what happened in one realm, would affect some way or another in all, but as the she-elf was only a commoner, and even more only a servant, it was not in her rights to express her thoughts or feelings on the matter.

Pushing these thoughts aside, Finiel looked at the clearing again, where Legolas now was sitting and singing his song for Elberet. Again a smile surfaced on the she-elf's pale face, since she now knew that the prince had given up hunting for her, even though she was sure she would have been able to leave unseen. Even if it was Silverflower, who maybe had been the origin of Mirkwood's legend, she had also thought her how to move in the forests, making her even more at home in the woods than the prince could ever be

As Legolas began to sing, the she-elf turned her head, for she felt that the stag had arrived once again at her side. Slowly, Finiel raised her hand and gently stroked the neck of her animal companion, making up her mind. And so, after listening to the music of the forest and the prince's song for a while, she stepped forward, pushing some of the lower branches aside, until she stopped at the edge of the clearing.


	3. Mae Govannen

**AN:** Next chapter is rewritten. I hope you'll like it. Thank you Satta, for helping me as a beta!

Feedback is welcomed as always!

This is dedicated to Polly!

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Often had the Prince heard of abilities of the lonely wanderer. She and nature were said to be one -- or her to be one with nature. And some could almost call it envy the young Prince felt, for he too had sometimes desired the free life he believed the hermit of the forest lived: free of the tasks of a prince, and free of Thranduil's orders.

Still, the young Prince loved his home and his father too, albeit he often disagreed with the King. And he would have given his life to protect them both, his father and his home, for, in spite of all troubles, he remained as his father's son. To him the magic of Mirkwood felt even more pure and beautiful than that of Imladris or Lothlorien, which were guarded by dangerous powers, whereas Eryn Galen still was the way the Valar themselves had sung it into existence in Eru's Halls eons ago.

To Legolas, this wonderful old forest had always been a place of mysteries and wonders, and, even though, there was darkness lingering amongst the trees, as his home it remained.

A few moments after the Elven Prince had sprinted after the lonely one, he understood that it would do no good to hunt her: no one could catch a deer by following it, but only by being quiet and hoping that in time the deer would reveal itself. And so Legolas had sat down, sent his song to Elbereth; the one the elves admired most, for her stars were the first things they had seen on Arda at the time of their awakening.

After he finished his song, the Elven Prince turned his pale and barely visible face up again; his bright blue eyes gazed through the branches of the trees, surrounding the small clearing, at the stars.

Everything seemed quiet, but still the woods were full of music and faint voices of the animals. Although day and night sometimes seemed equally dark, there was a change in the woods when the sun vanished behind the crowns of the trees, and the moon started his journey on the nightly sky. Somewhere deep in the forests, a nightingale began to sing her song of darkness.

It was not before the figure of the lonely wanderer appeared at the edge of the clearing, Legolas' gaze got focused again; and he turned towards her. Under the shawl, which covered his pale face, a little smile appeared, and, slowly, gracefully and perfectly balanced, for he was an athletic even among his kind, the Elven Prince rose to his feet.

After a moment, Legolas began to speak quietly, with a calm voice, "Mae govannen."

Watching her, he slightly bowed his head, for still he thought the hooded figure near the trees was the legend of the forests.

* * *

Finiel remained at the edge of the clearing without uttering a sound, without any movement, and so, moments passed with the she-elf watching the Elven Prince. Like Legolas, she was raised to believe in the legend of the lonely wanderer. Until she had met Celebriniel, Finiel had thought the wanderer to be a mystic creature, the protector of the forests much like the ents or the majestic eagles.

That all had changed when she had met Celebriniel, the silver-eyed Noldo from the time of Telperion's light. The first ranger had obtained her task from Yavanna to pass on her knowledge of the woods, the animals and the world; and she had chosen Finiel as her follower. For why, Finiel didn't know. Yet all she knew, she had learnt from the old Noldo. For centuries, since her mentor's passing away, the cloaked servant the wood elves saw the in the forest was Finiel, not Celbriniel. And only because the elves believed in so, the legend remained.

Often Finiel had wondered what her kin would say if they were ever to learn what was the truth behind the legend giving hope to so many of them. But Finiel had never dared to reveal herself, although, she sometimes had wounds she refused to explain to other elves.

These wounds the she-elf accepted as both her payment and reward for the death of the creatures of darkness that would never again hurt the forests she cared so much about. She, like the Prince, loved the forests and every soul living there, but her freedom from the King's orders, as Legolas believed to be, was far beyond her reach, being a servant of the palace.

For some time, standing on the edge of the clearing, the she-elf watched the Prince through the soft tone of the nightingales' song. The slender figure remained unmoving, until the Elven Prince got to his feet. After Legolas had rose, she stepped forwards into the open, giving up her spot between the dark trees. He had greeted her already with such a respect no one had shown at her before, making her abashed, even though the Prince could not see it.

Quickly, she then answered, well aware that her voice could seem familiar to the Prince, since she sometimes worked as a chambermaid in the palace. "Mae Govannen your Highness," she spoke softly across the clearing and bowed before the son of her King.


End file.
